Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-01-28

and over me down an incline of sixty four
degrees that had no visible bottom to it,
my nerves let down just little so to speak.
1t had never occurred to me that there
were any bears in the blamed country.
had never seen any except in shows and
those old cinnamon bears that the Ital-
ians carry around to scare horses with
! And then as they left me on my stand on
the top of that high, windy ridge at least
ten miles from anywhere and told me that
it there we're any bears started in the drive
they would be sure to come through my
stand, must confess that the thing be-
gan to look a little shaky to me. To tell
the truth, boys, if had known the trail l
should have put right off to the house
then and there. But I had been SO busy
looking at my horses name all the way I'D
the mountain that had no more idea of
the road home than a rabbit. Unquestion-
ably was in what Captain Kincaid of the
riEo battalion would have called a catego-
ry. AS there was no getting out of it, l
concluded to make the best Of it.
accommodated the stand and all the ap-
proaches as carefully as possible. The
woods seemed open enough except that
here and there there was a stunted pine
or bunch of them, or dead and fallen
tree with great, big top half full of
leaves and hole in the ground where the
roots bad been jerked out that was big
nnOnTh q
cold 1t was! tell you, fellows, that you
can It keep stout heart in cold weather.
particularly if you happen to be on
mountain stand that is a likely one for
BEAR
after reflection I determined to select
tree to climb in case bear came along:
good sized sapling right on the yoke of
the ridge, that was too small for the hug
of the varmint, seemed to be about the
thing and 1 went and sat down beside it,
having first 'cooned up to the first limb,
leaving my gun behind of course. By this
time was so cold that the chattering of
my teeth would have scared a deer at half
mile, so built a small fire and lowered
over it until little Of the chill left me:
then the sun came out and the wind lu1led
little. was beginning to get a little
more comfortable, but still kept think
ing about the blessed bears. After tax
ing little pull at my flask thought that
II single, small, little, wee, cub bear
were to come along L would try a shot at
him just before l Skinned up my sapling.
well, the sun grew warmer, the wind
ceased entirely, my fire grew hotter, and
could see farther down the hollow in front
OF me where the pine thickets did not ap-
pear so dense. In fact, to sum Up, [ fell
decidedly better. So [ took another pull
at the flask. In a few minutes began to
review the bear question. | reflected that
ten-gauge shotgun, loaded with buck
shot, at close range, was most formidable
weapon. thought, in fact, that | could
nave made lion or grizzly or Bengal
tiger feel pretty badly if were togive him
taste OF mine at close range-at close
range {m1nd voH. Apd / concluded thai
the sapilng scheme was altogether un
worthy of the consideration o..
| man in full possession of all
OF his faculties and ola ten-eauge shotgun
loaded with a half pint of buekshot. At
this time took another pull at the flask
and then determined las l could hear no.
thing OF the dogs and feared that rhel G
might be nest OF bears down among the
pines that might possibly got away lionl
nnioGQ | toHH ,
to go down and hunt around aud see ii
couldn't get q bear or two. | wanted t.
get large one for the sake of . is
| skin, you know. Go | did, and kicke,
around that old thicket aud among tie
black stumps for half an hour. But mai
bear could fad. The fact is. gem e.
men, that | don't believe there is a sing
one in forty miles Of here. You needu'
tell me; | know what / am talking alb u
[ would have killed the whole bear FAM
this morning if l had just had the chance.
Scared! It's an internal SANDER! [ was
cold and hadn't reflected upon the power.
fuI nature OF the ten-gauge shot gun as
weapon for bears. Ali I want IS time
'Oh, shut up!" was the universal howl
around the fire. We had heard enough OF
thai tale.
Five days we stayed at Sitlington's and
came back with four deer and a goodly
number of pheasants, none of which fell
to your correspondents s'ten-gauge load
ed with buckshot." Still I maintain that
1t Is good hunt and we'll worth the TAX
ing.
Stanton, Ia.